OSWEGO — Regular season hockey returns to Suny Oswego as the Men’s hockey team will take the home ice in their season opener against Suny Cortland tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Lakers come in off of two impressive victories in exhibitions against Nazareth college and the Carleton Place Canadiens. The Lakers will look for contributions from Sophomore Tanner Spink who had a combined 3 goals in the 2 exhibitions and from Junior Mitch Emerson who had 2 goals in the exhibitions himself.
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Pickett Seals Lakers 2022 Max Ziel Tournament Win
OSWEGO, NY – Women’s Basketball continues to impress early on in the 2022-23 season as they won the 2022 Max Ziel Tournament and stay undefeated at 3-0. The Lakers got the tournament started by taking down the Keystone College Giants 86-84 in OT.The first quarter was competitive as there were eight lead changes in the quarter. The Lakers went 3-8 from the field goal line in the first quarter and would outscore the Giants 19-11 in rebounds. The second quarter saw three more lead changes as both teams would score 17 points in the quarter as the score was tied at 35 going into the half. In the third quarter, there were eight more lead changes as the game continued to be a back-and-forth battle between the Lakers and the Giants.
The Lakers would lead 62-28 going into the fourth quarter but Keystone began to pull away in the fourth. Karleigh Leo helped rally the Lakers back as she had ten points in the final four minutes of the fourth to bring the game to overtime at 77. In overtime, both teams went back-and-forth until Diamond Pickett grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 1.8 seconds left in overtime. A last-second three-point attempt by Keystone’s Riley Berry failed as the Lakers won 86-84 in OT. Leo would lead the Lakers on the day with 23 points while Pickett had scored 14 points. Despite the losing effort, Berry had 33 points in the game with a total of 58 throughout the whole entire tournament including going 13-25 from the three-point line. She was able to earn herself an All-Tournament Player award for her team for the tournament.
In the second game, the Lakers rode the momentum they had against Keystone into their game against the Suny Poly Wildcats winning 65-64. The Wildcats came off a day one win in the tournament against Morrisville defeating them 63-55.
The Lakers started off the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Karleigh Leo and Logan Castiglione to put the Lakers up 6-2 early in the first quarter. The Wildcats were able to maintain a three-point lead going into the second quarter but the Lakers would go on a 13-point run to lead 27-17. Poly would rally back though and would cut the deficit to four. The Lakers would lead 33-29 going into halftime.
Karleigh Leo would go off in the third quarter with four three-pointers as the Wildcats had no answers for her. The Lakers would begin to pull away from the Wildcats 59-48 at the end of the third. The Wildcats would rally back in the fourth despite both teams struggling offensively. Diamond Pickett proved to be the difference maker once again as she scored the game-winning basket with nine seconds remaining. Logan Castiglione would win the All-Tournament Player award for Oswego as she had 19 points to go along with 11 field goals made in both games. Karleigh Leo would win the MVP for the tournament after her incredible performance in both games where she recorded 40 points along with going 15-37 from the field-goal line.
The Lakers will stay home to face Wells College on Wednesday, November 16th at the Max Ziel Gymnasium at 7 PM. The Lakers will look to stay undefeated this season as they look for their first four 4-0 start since the 2010-11 season. Additionally, they will be looking for their first four-game win streak since the 2012-13 season.
PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS
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Men’s basketball finishes semester on high, beats Fredonia
OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team travelled to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils Saturday afternoon. Their final game of the semester before an eighteen day break was a successful one with a dominant 63-48 victory. This was a game of scoring runs, with the Lakers starting the game with a 17-0 run over the first six minutes. Six different Lakers found the bottom of the net during that run, with Jeremiah Sparks leading the way with six of the seventeen. Fredonia would pull back some with an 11-4 run over the following six minutes and get the score to 21-11. The remainder of the half would be back and forth, and going into the locker rooms the score was 36-25 Lakers. Both teams were efficient from the free throw line in the half, Oswego shooting 8-11 and Fredonia 10-11.
The second half started with the Lakers pushing their lead to sixteen after five minutes, including an Oswego 6-2 run. Following a Jamal Achille dunk at the thirteen minute mark neither team would score for three straight minutes, with the scoreless run being broken by Laker Devin Green, who got the lead to seventeen again, the score being 51-34. The final ten minutes was back and forth, Oswego responding to every score by Fredonia. Sparks would finish the game for the Lakers at the free throw line, hitting both, and getting the final score to 63-48. The Lakers never faltered from their lead they grabbed in the beginning, the Blue Devils never even tying the score throughout the game. Four Lakers would score ten in the game, with Jeremiah Sparks leading the way with sixteen while adding five rebounds. Ahkee Anderson led Oswego from the free throw line going 6-6, he would have eight points on the night, while also leading the team with four steals. The three point line was not the Lakers friend in this game, Oswego going an ice cold 2-22, both made threes coming in the first half. The defense was big for Oswego in the game, 22 of their 63 points coming off Fredonia turnovers.
Oswego now sit at 7-1 this season while also being 4-0 in the SUNYAC. They sit second in the conference. Their next game is on December 29 versus Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the St. John Fisher tournament. Tip off is set for 7:00 P.M. at the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym in Pittsford, N.Y. The final of that tournament comes the following day. WTOP 10 will have continuing coverage of home games throughout the season.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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Oswego State Women’s Hockey 2020-2021 Roster Updates
Oswego State Women’s Hockey 2020-2021 Roster Update #1 (4/18/20)
OSWEGO, NY — The Women’s Hockey team heads into the off season only losing a few players from their 2019-2020 roster. The team lost four players due to graduation along with three players during the course of the regular season for various reasons. In total, the Lakers lost four forwards, two defenseman, and two goaltenders that will need to be replaced this off season. Oswego moves forward searching for multiple goaltenders as both starter Rachael Farmer and back up Tia Trovato left the team. So of course, the starting position is open heading into next season. So far, it has been a quiet off season as the group has only secured five recruits.
As for the goaltending problem, the search for players between the pipes has ended as the Lakers have secured three goalies heading into next season. JoAnna Hiebert from Highland Charter Township, Michigan is one of the three goaltenders coming to Oswego to play between the pipes. Hiebert has played the past two seasons for Meijer AAA Hockey in Michigan in which the goaltender has been the starter for the team. The 5’ 7” goaltender played 34 games this season and recorded a 2.05 goals against average.
The second goaltender heading to Oswego State next season is Bryn White. The Colorado native played for the Boston Shamrocks that plays in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. The goaltender that catches left played 16 games this season for the Shamrocks in which White recorded a .848 save percentage with a 6.43 goals against average.
The third and final goaltender heading to play for the Lakers in Emilie Venne. Venne played for the Northwood Girls Hockey team located in Lake Placid, New York. The eighteen year old from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada catches left and will join JoAnna Hiebert and Bryn White inbetween the pipes next season for Oswego.
With only the notable loss of Eryn Stewart due to graduation, most of the Lakers offense will be back next season. Megan Teachout, Amber Thomas, and Morgan Shines will most likely return for the Lakers, which means the group will most likely look for players that can step into a secondary scoring spot and grow for years to come.Oswego has also picked up two forwards to add to the recruitment class. Rachel Corbett from Rochester, NY played for the U19 Buffalo Regals this past season. Corbett has been with the program for two years as the team played in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League this past season. Corbett along with 11 other players committed to an NCAA team for next season from this team.
The second forward to commit to Oswego is Sophia Kyrkostas from Selden, New York. Kyrkostas played for the Selects Academy located in Rochester, New York this past season. The 5’ 2” forward played with the Lady Islanders before heading to Rochester to play with the Selects.
Heading further into the off season, the Oswego State Lakers still need to find a few more players to complete their 2020-21 roster. The team would most likely look for two to three more defenseman to complete an 8-man unit as well as find two to three more forwards for four lines and two extra players. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver updates on both the Men’s and Women’s hockey teams heading into next season. Their 2020-21 schedules should be released around the middle of July.
Oswego State Women’s Hockey 2020-21 Roster Update #2 (5/29/20)
OSWEGO, NY — As the Women’s Hockey team continues into their off-season, the coaching staff has continued to grow their roster for the 2020-21 season. The Lakers look to build off their successful season with the addition of the Class of 2024, which currently includes players from all over North America. After the team lost seven players due to graduation and other situations, the group has secured five players so far, which includes three goaltenders to replace senior Rachael Farmer. Oswego also has added two players to their offensive core to play along side players like Megan Teachout, Amber Thomas, and Emily Gustafson. The projected roster for the 2020-21 season is noted in the graphic below.
Recently, Oswego State was able to recruit another forward to add to their depth up front. Ben Grieco (@BenGriecoSports) reported the commitment of Madison Shepard who will be wearing the green and gold next season, as the Whitby, Ontario, Canada native will join the Lakers for their fourth season in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League. The 5’ 7” forward played for the Durham West Junior Lightning in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League, the same league that the London Junior Devilettes play in. This team faced the Lakers in an exhibition game this past season, where Oswego lost 0-4 on home ice. The Lakers have spent the past 6 seasons beginning with a PWHL opponent coming to play inside the Marano Campus Center. The Lightning finished in 15th this past season and lost to the Stoney Creek Sabres in the opening round of the PWHL Playoffs, losing the series 3-1. Shepard would tally one goal in the four playoff games. Over the course of the regular season, the left handed shot would tally 8 points (3 goals & 5 assists) in 32 games played. Shepard spent the previous two seasons with the Whitby Wolves, spending most of the 2017-18 season with the group’s Midget AA team. During her time in the league, Shepard has recorded a career total of 17 points (7 goals & 10 assists) in 74 contests.
With three forwards getting added to the current list, Oswego State now has 13 forwards heading into the 2020-21 season. Compared to the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, the team would still need to add one more forwards to equal their total of 15 forwards of their prior season. The Lakers still have four defenseman as the group has not yet recruited any defensive players. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver updates on both the Men’s and Women’s hockey teams heading into next season. Their 2020-21 schedules should be released around the middle of July.
Oswego State Women’s Hockey 2020-2021 Roster Update #3 (6/24/20)
OSWEGO, NY — The Women’s Hockey team continues to recruit talent as the team closes in on their 2020-21 season. After the announcement that new Interim Head Coach Mark Digby would be taking over the group, effectively immediately, the team has been continuing to add to their recruitment class. Prior to these newer commitments, Oswego was able to secure 6 players to throw on the green and gold for the first time next year. With all of these players being a part of the Class of 2024, the team is sure to have a large underclassman presence as the sophomore class has five notable players that were able to make impacts during their freshman campaign. With three goaltenders in this group, the Lakers have already taken care of the hole left in between the pipes after Rachel Farmer graduated, and Tia Trovato transferred to Potsdam. These three will be fighting for the starting job come October. The other three players will be joining the offense as the team is trying to add to their current group of 11 forwards that will most likely be returning next season.
The depth chart above shows the current projected 2020-21 roster. The purple coloring represents the two transfers, while the green represents the Class of 2024 recruits. Black is players that are expected to be back next season. The most recent announcements surfaced on social media last week with a total of three players committing to Oswego State. The first player, joining the Class of 2024, was Kamryn Barnes, from Alexandria Bay, New York. The 5′ 6″ defenseman graduated from Alexandria Bay Central High School this past year, a town located roughly one hour and 30 minutes northeast of Oswego along Lake Ontario. Barnes was the captain of her high school team her senior year, and also played varsity soccer during the fall. The athlete will join the four other defenseman returning in the fall, and is currently slotted in the Top-6 due to the lack of defenseman. This knowledge was found on Instagram by WTOP 10 Sports Talent Thomas Turgeon (@Turgeon_30wtop).
The two other commitments were rather significant for the Lakers compared to the past commitments of incoming freshman. Last week, Taylor Hudon and Lauren Jones announced that they will be transferring from Nazareth College to join the Lakers in the 2020-21 season. Both players spent the past two seasons with the Golden Flyers and will be juniors next season as the two put on green and gold on for the first time. Lauren Jones, a defenseman from Syracuse, New York, played for Skaneateles High School prior to the start of her collegiate career, the same school where current Oswego State player Meg Teachout played in high school. The two were teammates for two seasons while playing in Section III. Jones played in one game this past season for Nazareth, recording zero points. Her freshman year, the player tallied 5 points (1 goal & 4 assists) in 26 games played. Taylor Hudon will also be joining the Lakers squad next season as the forward played 4 games last season for the Golden Flyers, recording one goal. Hudon, from Alexandria Bay, New York, played in 26 games her freshman campaign, tallying 20 points (15 goals & 5 assists) along with 8 penalty minutes. The player has spent time on defense while she played in high school, but I would expect her to continue in the offensive core for the Lakers. Both players played a combined 5 games for Nazareth last season, both being healthy scratches for a majority of the campaign. This information has been confirmed via Instagram.
After these three players join the 2020-21 roster, Oswego State has now recruited a total of 9 players. Moving forward, the coaching staff will look to continue to grow this group by obtaining more offensive and defensive players. The defensive core still has some gaps to fill with only 6 reported players set in the 2020-21 roster. WTOP 10 will continue to provide updates on all Oswego State teams as the groups prepare for the start of their next seasons!
